Despite single-digit membership, the Harvard Nordic and Alpine ski teams registered solid individual results in the 1998-99 season and worked to ensure greater team success in future years. Competing in the 12-team Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA), the teams traveled to a series of carnivals throughout the northeast.

While Harvard has sent Nordic skiers to the NCAA championships in past years, this year the team finished toward the bottom of the circuit.

The squad faced low numbers and had many first-time racers.

"We weren't as strong an overall team this year as we've been in the past," Coach Matt Bellizzi said. "Our focus this season was more on individual improvement than worrying about how we placed as a team."

Captain Kellin King led the women's Nordic skiers throughout the year and was Harvard's highest finisher from either team, consistently registering top-30 finishes in many of the carnivals. King's best finish came at the Williams carnival, where she placed 25th in the pursuit race, a two-day event that combines results from classical and skating races.

"Kellin has over the last couple years proven herself as one of the top 25 skiers in the East," Bellizzi said. "Her Williams finish was among the best finishes by Harvard skiers in the past several years."

Freshman Kate Damon also turned in a solid year, providing a steady second finisher for the team scoring. In Nordic skiing the top three finishers from each team determine the team's overall standing. Damon's best finish came at the Vermont carnival where she took 37th in the 15-km classic race.

"Kate had some finishes that were very good for a freshman," Bellizzi said. "It puts her in position to move up considerably in the standings over the next couple seasons."